In the northwest corner of the inner city of Kaifeng, on both sides of the Jinshui River, the Gaomen mansions are arranged in groups with this. From the west wall of Yanfu Palace to the Tianbo Gate in the northwest corner of the inner city, the pavilions and pavilions are endless. Gathered here are the noble families, the prime minister's mansion, and occasionally one or two simple and low-key mansions belong to the big mink who is in charge of the Inner Service Province and the N Inner Service Province.

Chen Youwen, the edict of the Hanlin Painting Academy, rode a donkey, followed the housekeeper of the deputy prefect of Liu Fu named Liu Fu, and walked all the way from the mansion of Guanyin Courtyard in the southeast of the inner city by night, and arrived at the mansion of the deputy governor of the province of N Neishi, the doctor of Zhongwei, the defense envoy of Mizhou, and the supervisor of the contract by Liu Youfang and Liu Da Mink.

At this time, although the number of eunuchs in the Song Dynasty was not large, only more than 100 people, there were two internal service provinces, namely the inner service province in charge of the palace and the inner service province in charge of confidential matters.

Liu Youfang is now the deputy governor of the province of N Internal Service, and he is also in charge of the contract department. There are several quite important subordinate divisions under the province of N Internal Service: the Imperial Medicine Academy, the Inner East Gate Division, the Guoxin Office, the Military Leader Introduction Division, the Contract Basis Division, and so on.

Among them, the Imperial Pharmacy was the most powerful, and it was not only responsible for court medicines and supplements, food for ceremonial ceremonies, imperial examinations, major ceremonies, and diplomatic banquets.

It is also in charge of sacrificial texts, religious activities, manufacturing and managing the emperor's costumes, and other things that do not match the imperial medicine at all, and can even accept all kinds of musicals! The transmission of the chapter between the Hanlin Academy and the Emperor, which was called the "internal system", was carried out through the Imperial Academy.

In addition, the Imperial Academy was responsible for guiding ministers to meet the emperor and regulating the order and order of their shifts. Moreover, the chamberlain of the Imperial Medicine Academy was also responsible for setting up the corner of the palace when the monarch and the ministers asked the right - the conversation between the emperor and the ministers could not hide from their ears.

In addition to the fact that the Imperial Medicine Institute did things that did not match the name, the Inner East Gate Division was also not an institution that watched the gate, and the Division was a secret channel between the emperor and the outside world. Especially during the period when the Empress Dowager was in power, the power of the secretary was even heavier, because the place where the Empress Dowager and the ruling ministers discussed politics was usually at the Inner East Gate.

The Guoxin Office, also known as the Guoxin Office, is a diplomatic agency that is responsible for dealing with envoys from Khitan (Liao), Goryeo and other countries, and is also responsible for collecting intelligence.

As the name suggests, the military head introduction department is to accept the promotion and change of military personnel and other applications and introductions that need to meet the emperor or related institutions, and also participate in the management of martial arts examinations and military court trials.

Although Liu Youfang's contract basis division is not as good as the Imperial Medicine Institute, the Dongmen Division, the Guoxin Division and the Introduction Division, it is also an extremely important subordinate. It is in charge of forbidden property, and is responsible for giving or claiming items, including being in charge of military meritorious rewards, and can also be in charge of calligraphy, paintings, and cultural toys hidden in the forbidden area. Judging from Liu Youfang's mansion outside the palace, it can be seen that the supervisor contract is based on the fact that the company is a very lucrative dispatch.

This house is backed by the Jinshui River. Although the area is not large, it is extremely exquisite, and the pavilions and pavilions are beautifully built, and there are vivid murals everywhere.

In a small attic called Wuhua Pavilion in the courtyard, Chen Youwu met his immediate boss, Liu Youfang's adopted son, Liu Ai, who was the enshrinement officer (inner attendant rank official) of the Hanlin Painting Academy.

Liu Ai is about thirty years old, very well maintained, with delicate eyebrows, delicate skin, dressed as a scribe, and a freshly picked rose behind her sideburns, which looks a little enchanting.

"Chen Zhizhao, can the Immortal Diagram be in the hands of the Wu family?"

Chen Youwu, who was standing under the hall, looked a little cramped and uneasy, and when he heard Liu Ai's question, he hurriedly replied: "Daguan (the honorific title of the eunuch), then Wu Chengzhi does not admit that he has the "Eighty-Seven Immortal Map" in his hand......"

"Oh," Liu Ai smiled, "maybe not." But...... Our family can't just forget it, Chen Zhizhao, what do you think? ”

"Of course not," Chen Youwen said with a smile, "This is Wu Chengzhi's calamity, even if the nobles spare him, other families can't spare him...... And the surname Wu has no remorse, otherwise today he would have dedicated his collection of famous paintings and calligraphy and the shop on Panlou Street to you. ”

"Haha, we don't want his shop, but his family's treasures can still be seen......"

"Don't worry, the senior official will definitely let the surnamed Wu treasure his hands."

Liu Ai glanced at Chen Youwen, and then changed the conversation and said, "Chen Beizhao, you should have something else to do when you go to find Wu Chengzhi today, right?" ”

When Chen Youwen heard this, he immediately took out a painting scroll and handed it over with both hands. Liu Ai took the scroll and gently unfolded it, it was a "Drunken Arhat Picture" by Wu Hao's ancient copy.

"This Arhat painting is so good, our family has been in charge of the Hanlin Painting Academy for so many years, and we have never seen anything better......" Liu Ai looked at the Arhat portrait on the painting and took a breath, "What did Wu Zongyuan say?" ”

"He said that most of the original paintings were originally from the disciples of the painting saints."

"Painting Holy Disciple?" Liu Ai thought for a while, "Which one is it?" ”

"He doesn't know either." Chen Youwen said, "Maybe it's some unknown disciple. ”

Liu Ai asked again: "Can you find out who is in the hands of the authentic handiwork?" ”

"I don't know," Chen Youwen replied, "I only know that it was a certain person in the Western Army who observed the Yanai." ”

"The observation of the Western Army......" Liu Ai shook her head.

He and his adoptive father Liu Youfang are both "literary eunuchs", but they dare not provoke the observation of the Western Army. And now that the battle of Hengshan is imminent, even Zhang Xianggong in the court has to favor those proud generals.

"Great official," Chen Youwen paused and said, "Xiao'er saw Wu Yuanyu on the ghost market today...... He was the first to buy a facsimile. ”

"Wu Yuanyu?" Liu Ai furrowed her brows, "Do you say Duanwang will he ......?"

Chen Youwen nodded, "Most likely, Duanwang likes calligraphy and painting the most." ”

"Then our family will have to take this original in our hands," Liu Ai said to herself, "Find another opportunity to dedicate it to His Royal Highness King Duan." ”

"Daguan, Xiao'er said that those people in the Western Army are going to sing and sell the original in the ghost market four days later, and then Xiaodi will buy the painting to pay tribute to the deputy capital."

"Singing and selling?" Liu Ai was stunned, "When did the ghost market have this rule?" ”

Liu Ai smiled and said, "How can those Western Army killers understand the rules of the ghost market? ”

Liu Ai shook her head, "Those fighting men know how to sell things for a big price...... Maybe four days later, our father and son will go to the ghost market in person. ”

……

The drizzle, like a light veil, shrouded Kaifeng Mansion.

On Bianhe Street, it is deserted.

However, Wu Haogu's good mood was not spoiled by this cold rainy day in the slightest. He is now riding a donkey with his "little mother" Feng Erniang, along Bianhe Street to Kaifeng Mansion.

He went to Kaifeng Mansion to visit his detained father, Wu Chengzhi. These days, he has been busy forging and selling fake paintings, so he has not visited his father in distress. But today he has free time, and he is also in the mood to see Wu Chengzhi.

Four days ago, on the ghost market, he and Guo Jing, Liu Wuji and other four people were very successful, and 20 copies of "Drunken Arhat" copied by Wu Haogu were exchanged for about 8,000 yuan worth of cross-references.

Because "Drunken Arhat" was originally from the hand of Wu Haogu, at the "spoils sharing banquet" that night, Wu Haogu alone got 4,000 yuan, and another 1,000 yuan was used as the capital for "continuing to commit crimes", which was kept by Monk Fu. The other 3,000 were divided equally between Guo Jing, Liu Wuji and Monk Fu.

Now all it takes is that the old silk copy of "Drunken Arhat" (also made by Wu Haogu himself) will be sold for a good price in tomorrow's singing sale, and the Wu family will be able to scrape together enough money to return it to the palace and Wanjia shops.

In this way, Wu Chengzhi will soon be able to come out of the prison of Kaifeng Mansion, and the money returned by the Wu family to the palace and Wanjia shops will not be returned in vain, and he can also get back eight pieces of calligraphy and painting. These are all fine products, at least they can be sold for twenty or thirty thousand yuan, if you add the martial arts painting and other calligraphy and painting that are not very valuable, the property that can be inherited by Wu Haogu in the future will not be less than fifty or sixty thousand yuan.

With this belongings, Wu Haogu can't say that he will be able to accomplish very big things, at least he can make some preparations before the catastrophe more than 20 years later......